New York, Paris, London. Luxury design and fragrance house, L’OBJET’s boutiques find home in refined markets where quality and exclusivity precedes mass production.
India is no different. At its debut flagship in New Delhi’s The Chanakya Mall, in collaboration with Modi Enterprises, the brand’s display of curated collections–from décor to dinnerware–reflect its commitment to craftsmanship.
The fragrances–home and personal–also vie for attention. Known to be one of the brand’s hot sellers, these scents with distinct notes are a culmination of L’OBJET founder and creative director, Elad Yifrach’s travels across the globe.
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Not to miss the sharp-yet-subtle aesthetic of the brand's signature eau de parfum range for a unisex audience. Bottled in bell-shaped luminous black or blue glass with a lacquered wooden cap, and signature crackling–each of these have a seductive quality to it. “I have always developed the brand with the intention of appealing to the five senses. That's how we create an emotional connection to a place, an object of an environment”, Yifrach tells Esquire India.
In an exclusive chat, Yifrach lets us in on his fascination for fragrances and the trends ruling the world of men’s perfumes.
L’OBJET is known for its evolved take on fragrances. How did you foray into this world?
My exploration into this universe began with home fragrances. As always, I asked myself: what do I have to bring to the world? There's enough visual pollution around us so I try to create everything with intention.
For me, the inspiration came through travel, because smell is the most intelligent of all senses. It's one that is engraved right into our emotions and memories. When I travel, I always collect different notes–that’s how I built the first moodboard for my first home fragrance collection. It started with candles, Japanese incense and then we went deeper into the bath and body category.
Was it a natural transition to personal fragrances?
With time, I made an effort to understand my olfactory language better, making sure I am deeply connected to it. That was the starting point of our first personal fragrance collection. About a year and a half ago, we came out with four fragrances. Last year, we launched another variant and a new one just a few days ago.
Take us through the eau de parfum range.
The concept behind what we have done so far–and it's evolving as we grow–is a plunge into the heart of nature. It's about taking locations, bringing them into a formula and bottling that experience.
For example, Bois Sauvage will remind you of a walk in the forest after massive rain–when the humidity activates the earth and vegetation is alive. One of our iconic scents, Rose Noire, boasts the most exotic roses–Bulgarian, Iranian, Turkish and Rose de Mai from Morocco, delicately contrasted with Ceylon tea. There's a coastal scent, Côte Maquis, which is highly mineral, very salty…it's almost like you are smelling a rock and resin from the shrubs that grow in the Mediterranean.
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Kérylos, created with master nose Jean Claude Ellena, is somewhat connected to my upbringing in the Mediterranean. Oh Mon Dieu No. 69, inspired by the artistic and sexual revolution in France in 1969, is a symbol of empowerment. We have taken lipstick notes with cognac. The recent one, Blindfold, which we just launched in London, will be out in India in August. It is an experiment in sensory deprivation. The scent is musky with a twist of tonka bean, saffron and sandalwood.
Your personal favourite?
I think it keeps shifting (laughs). The recent one usually becomes my personal favourite because I try to connect with it and feel it in all scenarios. I give it a few good seasons…I believe in time. If it works in the winter and also summer means it has survived a few contrasts. That gives me an assurance of what I am going to present to my audience.
Describe the male audience in India, who would be a natural fit for L’OBJET’s range of personal fragrances.
Someone who understands refinement and appreciates attention to detail. That's because our formulas are highly nuanced in the most thoughtful way. I have observed Indian men loving more complex formulas. They have a certain clarity. They may not understand all of it but there's always room for an element of mystery.
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Some global trends in men's perfumes that you see trickling down to the Indian market.
Musk continues to be a strong contender. I also think a good citrus is always a winner, because working with those notes is very complicated. Rose is also big…it is now being explored in different ways. Everyone thought of it as our grandmother's fragrance but there's a way of making it interesting and complex.
With the expertise of your CEO, Stanislas Le Bert, who has been associated with the likes of Diptyque and Byredo, do you think you've got a competitive edge over others in fragrances?
Since L’OBJET has a history with design, people already know the brand. It opens many doors because you have proven yourself. But yes, we also have to gain our space in the fragrance universe. He (Stanislas Le Bert) is very instrumental in the way we are analysing the market, understanding how to tell our story and how to position the brand correctly.